E.W. Scripps buys Stitcher podcasting app

LOS ANGELES - Stitcher, the popular podcasting app, has been acquired by E.W. Scripps for its Midroll ad unit for $4.5 million.

Stitcher hosts over 65,000 podcasts to its 8 million registered users. USA TODAY is a Stitcher partner, and home to many of our podcasts, including "#Talking Tech" and "Dad Rock."

The French audio company Deezer had owned Stitcher since 2014. The staff of 12 Stitcher employees in San Francisco will continue to operate in the city, led by general manager Todd Pringle, according to Scripps.

Midroll sells ads for podcasts, on such shows as WTF with Marc Maron.

"The Stitcher brand is recognized to be an early mover and innovator in on-demand audio, especially with connected cars," said Adam Symson, chief digital officer for Scripps, in a news release. "Stitcher's data-driven technology had made it a leader in podcast discovery and audio distribution, which will complement Midroll's leadership in content creation and advertising sales."